“Resiliency in times of Diversity”
By: MELANIE Y. PADILLA
Teacher III
Teacher III
Diversity (for better or worse) has been existing as one of the fibers of our society since time immemorial. The nationality, age, economic status, religion, profession, educational background, and many more are just some of the qualities and categories that make us diverse. On one side of the coin, diversity is what makes an individual unique. However, on the other side, diversity has also has led to many different problems such as racism and discrimination.
But in what seems to be an entirely different issue altogether, another challenge has emerged upon us. Not only in our country but also to the rest of the world – COVID-19. The seemingly unstoppable plague has made its way to every nooks and cranny of our planet, taking lives far and wide as people began to fear even the name itself. As we struggled to cope up and adapt to the situation, the pandemic has already changed our way of life more than we hoped and realized. The change it brought has been widely encompassing, sparing nothing along its path.
Education is but one of the many sectors heavily affected by the global pandemic. Due to the restrictions raised to prevent the transmission of the deadly disease, schools have become restricted areas for students. In the Philippines alone, education has seemed to on hold, and the future of millions of students is at risk. Although we have been able to find solutions to address the problem, it may have caused us to become even more diverse than we thought.
By the power vested upon the Department of Education, different learning modalities were put into effect to accommodate the students’ learning. Modular, distance, and blended learning – these have enabled students to select which method will best suit them while learning at the comfort of their own homes, at their very own pace. Needlessly, with the implementation of the different learning modalities, education has just become more diverse than ever before.
However, just like with everything, the modalities also gave their respective students some challenges. From slow internet connection to erroneous modules. The problems began to stack up against one after the other. Eventually, leaving some students with their backs against the wall.
But did the Filipino students give up? NO! With resiliency deep in our veins, etched unto us by the various calamities and natural disasters that we’ve faced, giving up was never an option. Students who cared about their futures took the challenges they faced as fuel to ignite their dreams of finishing their studies even more. Even when waves of troubles came crashing down on them, students rose to the occasion.
We all have seen it. The viral news about students who attend their online classes even while at work; elementary pupils crossing several rivers to submit and receive their modules; students climbing trees to have a better signal for their internet, and even teachers crossing hanging rope bridges to deliver activity sheets. These are just some of the many behind-the-scenes of the whole situation. We may all have different opinions and reactions towards these kinds of news but underneath those flashy headlines is the reality that students are still finding ways to pursue their education. No matter how diverse the students are in terms of learning modality, our trademark “no retreat, no surrender” attitude as a Filipino still shines through even in the country’s educational crisis. Truly, a proof of our resiliency even in the time of diversity.
Indeed, the pandemic may have forced us to distance ourselves from one another. But even this sickness couldn’t hamper our unified spirit of resilience to face the challenges that come our way, whether be in our education or just in our everyday lives in general. We might be physically divided, but our resiliency remains. ###
